Method of producing motor fuel



H. C. WADE METHOD OF PRODUCING MOTOR FUEL Filed Aug. 7, 1922 g; JQZM ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATIENT OF -"J I HENRY CLAY WADE, or LOS AivoELEs,canine1mm.

, METHOD. or PRODUCING MOTOR FUEL. I

Application fileii August 7; 1322. Serial No. 530,092.

State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMethods, of

Producing Motor Eilehof which the followin g is a Specification The present invention relates more particularly to a method of treating light hydrocarbon gases such as natural gas and casing head gas. A further object is the production of motor fuel by combining the recovered light hydrocarbon liquid with heavier hydrocarbon bodies simultaneously with the recovery of said liquid from the gas. In other words the'production of motor fuel is, in one aspect of the invention, a direct result from the gas liquefying process. The partial recovery of condensable hydrocarbons from natural gas has been heretofore accon'iplishcd by compression methods, and also by permitting the gas to pass through pools of crude or refined petroleum oil. the latter method effecting absorption of the readily condensable portion of the liquid content of the gas. By means of the present invention a very much greater recovery is obtained from such gas. My method also is applicable to coke oven gases and normally non-condensable gases from petroleum-oil cracking plants.

In describing my method I will refer to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of the apparatus, and 5 Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of the injector intermediate the coil intake and the gas,'oil and water lines.

By reference to the drawing it will be seen that the apparatus consists of an oil tank 1, oil line 1", a water tank 2, water line 2*, a furnace 3, 2. gas'line 4, a coil 5 within the furnace, and other instrumentalities now to be described. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen .that the outlets of the gas, oil and water lines communicate with an atomizer or injector 6 having its discharge end within the intake of the coil 5. Theoutlet a of the water line projects within and axially of the gas line at its outlet end; and in practice I j have found that the proportionate diameters maybe as follows. Assuming the diameter of the coil to be 2", the injector may be 1 1;",

the gas outlet end and the water outlet The tubes of the water and oil line may be of any suitable diameter, as for example As a member of the water line, and suitably located within the furnace 3 is awatersuperheater ooilQ and intermediate the latter and the water line outlet a is a. pres sure regulating valve 7 In practice I prefer to bring the Water up to at least 212 F. i'r. the superheater and to confine the superheated Water sothat it is not permitted to vaporize until it passes into the injectorsimultaneously with the oil and gas. may be accomplished by feeding thewater to the superheater under pressure and by means of the pressure regulatin valve 7 and the reduction in diameter of t e outlet end. of the water tube within thisinject-or... The

This I result is that the commingled oil and gas passing into the coil '5 (the upper turns of which may be regarded as an expansion chamber) is subjected to the explosive action of water suddenly converted into steam. The mechanical effect is that the hydrocarbon bodies are broken up into exceedingly fine particles thoroughly associated with the aqueous vapor particles, so that chemical reaction produced by heat and catalysis, as hereinafter explained, is rendered with maximum completeness, and as the lighter constituents of the oil are broken up they are immediately absorbed by the aqueous (vapor and are thusprevented from depositing free carbon.

It will be seen that the heating coil 5 leads to a suitable condenser- 8, the latter discharging into a collecting tank 9, provided with a gas draw'oif tube 10, as customary.

Within the heating coil '5 preferably at itsv outlet end is a catalyzer in attenuated mesh form, so as to present a large surface area in proportion to its mass.

In the operation of m method, a suitable temperature is produce within the furnace or kiln 3 say .1100 and pressure regulating valves 11 and12 are opened to permit the flow of oil and gas to theinjector 6, the oil being under'pressure, as from air conduit 13. If desired, the oil may be preliminarily heated. The water within superheater 2 rapidly reaches .the steaming point, but being confined, as aforesaid, is not ermitted to vaporize until it passes within the outlet end of the injector and inlet of the heating coil, where, in the presence of the oil and gas, it suddenly bursts into steam andthoroughly disseminates and as: 'sociates the particles of oil and gas with its own particles of aqueous vapor. The vagors thence pass through the turns of the eating 'coil, which may be of 150 ft. in length and 1*, 2" or 3" in diameter. T have found that inim method low grades of fuel oil may be use for example a crude petroleum oil from which kerosene andthe lighter constituents have been removed, as also the lubricants and asphalt, leaving a body of about 27 gravity. The breaking-111p of the oil by the explosive action of, the steam andthe'intimate association of the oil particles with theparticlesof gas in the presence of the aqueou's vapor and-heat mayexplain thevvery high absorption, or recovery, of liquid hydrocarbon from the gas in the practice of my method, whereby I have increased the recovery over compression methods by 2 aliens per 1000 ft. of ca'sin head gasjiand have obtained correspon 'ng'increases in the use of less rich gas.

he aqueousv vapor reaching the catalyzer C is partially. disassociated thereby into its constituents of" hydrogen and oxygen.

w-Also, by means of a catalyzer formed in attenuated mesh and-presenting a. very large surface 1 proportion to its mass, I am able to maintain at the point of final treatment of the vapors a temperature much higher than that Within the coil in advance of the catalyzer. The catalyzer C not only disasso'ciates the constituents of the'steam,-but

it efiects new combinations between the thus 1 freed hydrogen, and the carbon and hydrogen atoms from the treated oil and as, my

condensed product being a. new an stable Havin described my invention What c aim an desire to secure by Letters Patent The method of producingflmotor fuel,

which consists in subjecting water to heat While con fined against vaporization until the water reaches a temperature of at least 212" of r F., passing the water into a body commingled oil and gas'so that said body is subjected to the explosive action of water "suddenly converted intosteam, andesubjecting the resulted mixture to heat and subsequent condensation.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

HENRY CLAY l-VADE.

Witnesses: g

' B. G..LONG,

J. B. Mimvm. 

